Kinds of clasps

Lec.7,lev.3
• Clasps are classified according on the
following bases:
• 1- on the bases of construction :
• A- CAST CLASP:
• The cast clasp is cast in gold or chrome-cobalt
alloy, it is accurately fitting and easily varied in
thickness, form and taper
• B- wrought clasps:
• The wrought wire clasp is usually made of
stainless steel or gold alloy wire to which an
occlusal rest is added by means of gold solder.
• The clasp may be simply processed into an
acrylic resin base
• C-combination clasp:
• The combination clasp is a cast clasp in which
wrought wire has been substituted for the
usual cast retentive arm. It is made by either
of the two following methods
• -the wrought wire retentive arm is attached to
the clasp with solder
• The wrought wire can be embedded in the
wax pattern of the clasp before casting
• Another condition in which the retentive arm
may be used in the manner of a bar either
cast or wrought ,originating gingivally from
the denture base( gingivally approaching
clasp)
 Advantages of combination clasp
• 1- it combines the resiliency of the wrought
retentive arm plus the better stabilizing
feature of the cast clasp
• 2-it has a stress breaking action
• 3- it can be used in the anterior part of the
mouth as it is less showing and can be placed
near the gingival margin
 2-on the bases of design
• A-occlusally approaching clasps(suprabulge,
encircling,circumferential):
• This type of clasp is characterized by the fact
that the retentive terminal approaches the
undercut of the tooth from the occlusal side
of the survey line
• B-gingivally approaching clasps
(infrabulge,bar,projection ):
• This type of clasps,the retentive terminal
approaches the undercut of the tooth from
the gingival side of the survey line
 A-occlusally –approaching
clasps(circumferential clasps)
• They consists normally of two arms which
encircle the tooth on the opposite sides. Each
arm consists of a free-end called”terminal”, a
main part or “body”, and a shoulder which
blends with the truss.
• Only the terminal extends in
• to the undercut
A-aker clasp(undercut used”0.01”)
• The most universally employed of all clasp
designs.
• The aker clasp is a double –arm clasp. It is
used on molars and premolars of normal
shapes and position when the tooth to be
clasped is adjacent to an edentulous space
and the undercut is away from the saddle.
 indication
• Unilateral or bilateral tooth borne partial
denture
• Short span free end saddle where the
undercut is so small
 advantages
• Good support and bracing
• Does not distort easily
• Easy to adjust
• Contact minimal area of the tooth when
compared with the single arm clasps
• Good esthetics
 Akers family
• 1-the recurved arm form (hair pin clasp)
• This clasp can be employed when the usable
undercut is on the buccal surface of the tooth
adjacent to the edentulous space. It covers
considerable tooth surface and may trap food
debries
 2-the one arm form
• It is similar to the double arm form except that
only one arm is flexible and the reciprocal is
formed by an extension of the denture base, it
may be normal or recurved
 3- the half and half clasp
• Consists of a circumferential retentive arm
arising from one direction and a reciprocal
arm arising from another. It is used with
isolated premolars and molars for bounded
and free end partial dentures
 4-compound clasp
• Is Also called:embrassure,double aker,double
circumferentail ,butterfly,back to back or
interdental clasps.
• This clasp is two aker clasps arising from a
common body situated in the embrassure
between two clasped teeth
• It is frequently used with class 2 or class 3
dentures,although it has application in partial
dentures of all classes when no edentulous space
exists
 5-multiple clasp
• The multiple clasp is simply two apposing
circumferential clasps joined at the terminal
end of the two reciprocal arms. It is used
when additional retention is needed, usually
on tooth –borne partial dentures. It may be
used for multiple clasps in instances in which
the partial denture replaces an entire half of
the edentulous arch
• It may be used rather than an embrassure
clasp when the only available retentive areas
are adjacent to each other ,
• it is dis advantages is that two embrassure
approaches are necessary rather than a single
common embrassure for both clasps
 8-extended arm clasp
• Extended arm clasp is similar to aker
circumferential but it covers two teeth. It is useful
when the tooth near the saddle has poor
undercut while the tooth next to it has good
ones.
• It remains above the survey line of the first
tooth,and crosses in to the undercut of the
adjacent tooth.this type of clasp has spliting
action and distributes the lateral load over two
teeth.
 7- the reversed aker clasp
• This clasp is most often employed on
mandibular bicuspids, when the undercut is
near the saddle. It is useful when the bar type
clasp is contraindicated due to the presence
soft tissue undercut, or when the hair pin
clasp is not suitable because the crown of the
abutment is too short
• An advantage of this clasp is the fact that the
occlusal rest ,located in the mesial fossa, exert
a mesially directed force on the abutment
where it is reciprocated by an adjacent tooth,
as apposed to a distally directed force exerted
by the aker clasp
 8-RPA clasp design
• RPA design is formed of three components,
the mesial occlusal rest with minor connection
placed into the mesiolingual
embrassure,proximal plate is placed in the
distal surface of the abutment at the occlusal
third,an aker or circumferential clasp arm
arises from the superior portion of the
proximal plate and extend around the tooth to
engage the mesial undercut.
 B-Back-action clasp(undercut used
0.01 or 0.02)
• The back action clasp is a single arm clasp
which is attached to the denture at one end
only( the mesiolingual).
• The section of the clasp that lies on the lingual
surface of the tooth is rigid and lies above the
survey line. The distal section , which may
carry the occlusal rest ,lies above or on the
survey line ,and the buccal section passes
below the survey line and provide retention
• Its used with free end saddle on buccally tilted
premolars as it has a stress breaking action.
 Reverse back action
• Is attached to the denture at the buccal side.
Its most commonly used with lingually tilted
premolar to engage the mesiolingual
undercut.
• The back action clasp is biologically and
mechanically unsound for the following
reasons:
• 1-easily distorted because of length and
difficult to adjust
• 2-large tooth areas covered
• 3-bracing is not sufficient
• 4-design produces food trap between lingual
arm and major connector
 C-ring clasp(undercut used 0.02)
• It is a single arm clasp used on buccally or
lingually tilted isolated molars. It is attached
to the denture at the mesial occlusal rest area
and then encircles the tooth. The rigid
shoulder and body lie above the survey line
and the terminal in the undercut.
• Areinforcing arm must be added to contribute
to horizontal stabilization.
• Disadvantages:
• 1-may distort, and difficult to adjust
• 2-contact large area of tooth
• 3-Reinforcing arm may cause marginal
irritation and act as a food trap